


Revolution Came When the Crows Sang

by theangstyace



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo, The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Detroit Become Human AU, Gen, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prostitution, Swearing, inaccurate police procedures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-04 02:59:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15832377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theangstyace/pseuds/theangstyace
Summary: The year is 2038--Androids are used in nearly every aspect of daily life, obedient and complacent. Then, somehow, something sparks some awareness in these creatures. Will the impending revolution spark a new era, or crash and burn horribly?(AKA, the Detroit Become Human AU this fandom probably doesn't need but I'm writing anyways)





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> SO, UH, THIS IS A THING I GUESS *sweats* 
> 
> I don't know at this point. SoC/TgT is something I've been in the fandom for since about January and I love playing with the character types and realtionships, but before this I haven't been able to write fic yet for it so *shrugs*. Then, oh god then, Detroit: Become Human comes out and I get super invested in it, and god forbid I actually write canon-verse fic. So... have this. I'm trying not to copy parts word-for-word, but unfortunately this chapter we might have some similarities
> 
> Also, as far as updates go ??? Schedules don't happen with me unfortunately (because who am I kidding) and school starts very soon for me, so I'll try my very hardest to update fairly regularly, but no promises. (I do, however, have up to part of chapter two actually outlined)
> 
> (This is very roughly beta'd, so feel free to tell me if there's any issues)
> 
> EDIT AS OF 10/7/18: I changed the date on Inej's section from November 5th to October 22nd and added locations

_August 15th, 2038_

_08:29 PM_

_Grandview Apartments  
_

 

The elevator chimed as it ascended, counting away at each floor. Jesper flicked a poker chip between his index and middle finger, palming it and pressing at it with his thumb, almost like a worry stone.

 

A soft _ding_ resounded through the small chamber. With one final fidget, he pocketed the chip and straightened his tie before the door could even open.

 

Ignoring the broken shouts and ambient sounds of the apartment, Jesper took in the dim entryway. Plants in plain pots lined the back wall, while a table was on one of the  adjacent walls. On the other wall was a broken fish tank, which cast an eerie glow over the hall. Glass littered the floor, and in a sad little puddle was a fish.

 

Jesper approached it and kneeled down. Gently, he scooped it up and scanned it.

 

**DWARF GOURAMI**

**_Trichogaster Lalius_ **

**Origin: Ganges Delta, India**

 

It flopped weakly in his grip and Jesper felt a pang of… well, he wasn’t too sure what it was. Still, he stood and placed it in the remaining water of the tank and watched momentarily as it swam in small circles.

 

**_Software Instability ^_ **

 

 _Strange,_ he thought, but paid it no heed. Time was of the essence now, which meant he couldn’t waste it worrying about something that could be tested later back at CyberLife. He was a prototype.. Bugs were normal, right?

 

As he stood, a woman accompanied by two SWAT officers stumbled in. Jesper didn’t even have time to scan her face before she grabbed him by the lapels and was yammering on tearfully.

 

“Please, you need to save her--wait,” the woman said, looking down at the holographic bits of his jacket. “Wh-why are you sending an _android_?”

 

“Come along ma’am,” one of the officers said gruffly, grabbing her by the arm.

 

Her movements became more frantic, as did her volume. “Why aren’t you sending a human?”

 

Jesper clenched his jaw as he listened to her cries grow more and more faint. Letting out an unneeded sigh, he continued through the apartment. It was minimalistic, large and in a huge state of chaos. More SWAT officers busied themselves about the apartment, a few keeping weapons trained on the suspected deviant outside.

 

**_New Objective: Find Captain Brum_ **

 

It wasn’t difficult to find the man in question. He stood next to another SWAT officer, listening to something on his comm, a helmet placed in the crook of his arm.

 

“Captain Brum?” Jesper said as he approached.

 

The officer craned his head in the android’s direction, just barely giving Jesper a glimpse at his steely blue eyes, then turned back toward the other officer who sat next to him on a laptop.

 

“My name is Jesper,” He persisted. “I’m the android sent by CyberLife.”

 

Brum didn’t spare him another glance. “It’s firing at everything that moves,” the older man said. “It’s taken down two of my men. We could have already gotten it, but it has the girl at the edge of the balcony.”

 

“If it falls, she falls,” Jesper murmured. “Captain, has the deviant experienced any type of emotional shock recently?”

 

“Why do you ask?” Brum barked.

 

“Usually some type of shock is what leads to a deviancy in androids,” he replied mechanically. “Do you know it’s na--”

 

Brum whorled around, advancing onto Jesper quickly. He was a good few inches shorter than the android, but his presence made up for the rest.

 

“Listen, all I care about right now is getting this girl off of that balcony safely,” he said darkly. “So either you take care of it, or _I will_.”

 

Jesper gave the captain a curt nod as he walked past the android, then proceeded to give the room a quick once over, noting the gun case. From there, it was easy to reconstruct how the events of a few hours prior went down. The deviant, whom Jesper had learnt was called Joost, was about to be replaced; so, in a fit of rage and hurt, he murdered the father and took the girl. Shots had been heard by some neighbors and the police officer who had first responded had met the same fate as the father.

 

He knelt, grabbing the gun underneath the table he had spotted as he examined the officer. It was a solid weight in his hand; standard issue pistol, nothing special. On his HUD, the act preventing androids from carrying firearms appeared for a brief second. Jesper stood, putting the weapon into the waistband of his pants, and ignored the notification.

 

Satisfied with the information he’d collected, Jesper pushed aside the sheer curtains that led to the balcony.

 

Then, not a second later, a bullet plunged into his left shoulder. Jesper spared it a glance, and when he was sure it hadn’t hit any vital biocomponents, looked back out onto the balcony

 

Joost was a standard PL-600 model―Scrawny, with mousy brown hair and wide, fearful eyes. The android kept the handgun trained on Jesper, seemingly ignoring Anya’s fearful wimpers. Overhead, a helicopter hovered loudly.

 

“Hey, Joost,” Jesper shouted over the noise, settling on what he thought was a warm smile. “My name’s Jesper.”

 

“How do you know―” Joost asked, furrowing his brows.

 

“I know a lot of things,” Jesper replied vaguely, advancing slowly. “I want to help you out of this.”

 

Joost remained silent.

 

**_New Objectives:_ **

**** **_-Gain Deviant’s trust_ **

**** **_-Approach Slowly_ **

 

“I’m guessing you and Anya were really close, weren’t you?” Jesper asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a wounded officer.

 

“Not close enough, apparently,” Joost shouted bitterly. “Since they were so ready to replace me.”

 

“Are you going to put the blame on her?” He asked. “She’s just a little girl, Joost. She didn’t have any more control over it than you did.”

 

“That’s not the point,” Joost yelled, gesturing with the gun. Jesper knelt down by the wounded officer, noting the bullet wound and lost blood. “She’ll turn out like the rest of them eventually.”

 

Jesper loosened his tie, taking it off. “He’s losing blood,” he told the deviant. “He’ll die if we don’t do something about it.”

 

“All humans die eventually,” Joost spat. “So what if this one goes now?”

 

Jesper ignored the quip and tied his tie around the bullet wound. He stood, then continued his approach.

 

“Joost,” he tried. “I need you to let Anya go. This doesn’t solve anything.”

 

“Let me guess,” Joost said. “I let her go and I get killed, right?”

 

Jesper felt himself hesitate; he didn’t need to look to see the rifles trained on the android. This was just part of the inevitable, but he found it hard to tell Joost the truth.

 

“Maybe not,” Jesper lied. “I can possibly talk them out of destroying you, but you need to let Anya go.”

 

The android hesitated and Anya let out a broken sob. After a few tense moments, he relinquished his grasp on the young girl, who fell to the ground.

  
“Alright…” he said. “I trust you.”

 

Bullets tore through his chest, his cheek, his leg. Thirium poured from the android’s wounds. Shock and betrayal littered Joost’s features. He looked down to the wounds, then back up at Jesper. The LED on his temple flickered red.

 

“You.. you lied to me,” Joost said softly, voice static and broken. Before he could say any more, his joints seized up, and the android was dead.

 

~~_Impossible. Androids don’t die. They can be destroyed, but they don’t_ die. ~~

 

**_Software Instability ^_ **

 

Jesper stared at the android’s lifeless form and listened to Anya’s soft sobs for a moment longer, watching as the helicopter rounded the building and faded into the sky.

 

* * *

 

_October 22, 2038_

_07:42 AM_

_The Menagerie_

 

**MODEL WR400**

**SERIAL# 015 428 434**

**BIOS 7.4 REVISION 0483**

**REBOOT…**

 

**MEMORY RESET**

 

**_LOADING OS…_ **

**SYSTEM INITIALIZATION…**

**CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS…** **_OK_ **

**INITIALIZING BIOSENSORS…** **_OK_ **

**INITIALIZING AI ENGINE…** **_OK_ **

 

**MEMORY STATUS…**

**_ALL SYSTEMS-OK_ **

 

**READY**

 

She woke on a table in the middle of a workshop. To her left was a young man with a thin nametag proclaiming that his name was Daniel, while to her right was a woman. She was blonde, and the first thing that she noticed about her was the blinding choker at her throat.

 

“I had to wipe her memory this time,” Daniel said. “I hope that’s alright.”

 

“More than alright,” the woman said. “We wipe our android’s memories every few hours anyways, so you were just speeding up the inevitable.”

 

“Ah,” he hummed, nodding. “Well, that should be the last of everything. We just need to register her name and we’ll be golden.”

 

“Of course,” The woman said. “I’ve done this one time too many, unfortunately. The next time she’ll end up at the scrap heap―probably cheaper that way.”

 

Daniel hummed uncomfortably, and sat her up on the table.

 

“WR400, register your name,” Daniel said, then stepped out of her line of sight, allowing the woman to take his place.

 

“Inej,” She said curtly. Something about the close proximity left a strange feeling in her chest, but she pushed it down anyways.

 

“My name is Inej,” Inej repeated monotonously.

 

* * *

 

 

_November 5th, 2038_

_10:46 AM_

_Van Eck Residence_

 

A plume of dust rose from the bedsheets as Alys pulled them off of the bed, causing her eyes to water. She had been tasked to clean one of the many unused rooms of the old house, Jan saying something about a guest coming by in a few days, and she hadn’t asked. Crinkling her nose, Alys gathered up the heavy duvet and put the rest of the sheets into the pile, then picked up the musty-smelling items.

 

It was quick work to clean up the spare room, and even quicker work to clean the other things she had been tasked to do.

 

Alys was returning upstairs when she saw Wylan dash past her, ruddy curls reflecting the sun shining through the windows. She noted how his flute case was tucked firmly under his arm.  Moments later, she heard the door to his room thud closed. She shrugged, then approached Jan’s office. After a few short knocks, his voice boomed through the thick door.

 

“Yes?” He asked.

 

“I was just checking to see if you needed anything, Jan,” Alys said. She could hear the pause.

 

“No, I’m fine,” Jan said, and Alys nodded.

 

**_Objectives:_ **

**** **_-Tidy Jan’s room_ **

**** **_-Tidy Wylan’s room_ **

**_Secondary tasks:_ **

**** **_-Check on Wylan_ **

 

She made quick work of Jan’s room―putting a book away here, straightening the sheets there. Alys frowned as she found the decanter of whiskey at his bedside table yet again, accompanied by its good friend the empty glass. Leftover dregs of the drink swirled as Alys picked it up.

 

**_Objectives:_ **

**** **_- ~~Tidy Jan’s room~~_ **

**** **_-Tidy Wylan’s room_ **

**_Secondary tasks:_ **

**** **_-Check on Wylan_ **

 

With Jan’s room sufficiently cleaned, Alys made her way to Wylan’s room. She knocked a few times (because, like his father, Wylan appreciated it more when she knocked first). After no response, Alys entered.

 

It seemed redundant most of the time for Alys to even _touch_ Wylan’s room. He was usually very tidy, keeping his books neatly on the bookshelf, making his bed, and keeping sheet music and other miscellaneous papers tucked away where they were needed.

 

However, today was not one of those days.

 

Paper in various states littered the floor―some crumpled, some ripped. On the desk, pens and pencils were strewn about, and one of the papers in better shape was reading questions that went with another assignment; however, the page only boasted a few sentences in Wylan’s messy script.

 

It appeared the only thing in the room that was in a remotely good state was his flute case, carefully stowed away atop the dresser.

 

At the moment, none of that was her main concern.

 

On the bed, Wylan sat with his knees drawn up to his chest, head down. A small sniffle enacted from the boy, and Alys found herself sitting on the bed unprompted. She set a gentle hand between the boy’s shoulder blades, and she felt Wylan flinch.

 

“Wylan,” Alys said softly. “What’s wrong?”

 

Another sniffle, but no answer.

 

“Frustrated?” Alys tried again. She knew his dyslexia was trying at times.

 

“Yeah,” Wylan said in a small voice. “I can’t focus.. And the letters keep getting mixed up.”

 

She hummed sympathetically. He lifted his head, revealing red-rimmed eyes.

 

“‘M sorry for making a mess,” He whispered, making a move to clean up the papers. Alys nodded, joining him.

 

They cleaned together in silence, and Alys watched him pull himself back together. For only being ten, he seemed to be very mature; although, Alys wouldn’t be able to accurately say so, having only Wylan as her real reference.

 

After they were finished, Alys sat back on her heels and surveyed the room, consulting her tasks.

 

**_Objectives:_ **

**** **_- ~~Tidy Jan’s room~~_ **

**** **_- ~~Tidy Wylan’s room~~_ **

**_Secondary tasks:_ **

**** **_- ~~Check on Wylan~~_ **

 

“What would you like to do?” Alys asked. Wylan fidgeted.

 

“I should.. I should work on my homework,” He murmured. Alys pouted, poking his side gently.

 

“Not should,” She teased. “What do you _want_ to do?”

 

Wylan brushed a stray curl from his face and looked around, then shrugged.

 

“Hmm…” Alys hummed. “We could… play a game, or we could draw…”

 

Alys remembered how Wylan had had his flute case with him as he left his father’s office earlier. He must’ve wanted to show him something he had learnt, but Jan probably sent him away―he was a busy man, after all.

 

“I know,” Alys said. “How about you play me something on your flute. I saw you wanted to show your father something earlier, and I haven’t heard you play for awhile.”

 

Wylan chewed his lip, worry staining his features. She knew how cross Jan was if Wylan didn’t complete his assignments; Alys had heard the stern lectures many times.

 

“One thing?” Alys compromised. “Then I’ll help you with your homework, how’s that?”

 

That got a smile. “Alright,” Wylan said, standing and retrieving his flute.

 

It was one of the few things the boy was passionate about, besides chemistry and drawing. Alys, even though she didn’t _technically_ feel these things, always had a sense of happiness warm her as she watched Wylan’s blue eyes absolutely _sparkle_ as he spoke about or showed her the things he enjoyed.

 

Smoothing her dress down, she listened to Wylan play, and was sincerely impressed at how much improvement he’s gone through. Alys clapped softly, and Wylan playfully bowed.

 

**_New message from Jan: Alys, please send Wylan to my office._ **

 

“Let me guess,” Wylan said dejectedly. “Dad wants to see me.”

 

“Ah, yes, he does,” Alys said. “How did you―?”

 

Wylan pointed to his temple. “It’s always yellow when you say he sends you something.”

 

Alys smiled despite herself. It was always easy to forget about her LED.

 

Wylan put his flute back inside the case, snapped it closed, and returned it to its spot on his dresser. Then, he headed to the door.

 

A split second later, Wylan’s skinny arms were wrapped around Alys’ neck. She chuckled softly, hugging the small boy back. Then, as soon as he was there, Wylan was gone from the room, leaving Alys alone on the plush carpet.


	2. Scream (As your heart breaks from its cage)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things seem to be getting worse before they get better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have nothing to say for myself ksflsdj
> 
> I'm sorry this took so long to get written, but I hope these 5k words make up for the long length of time. Hopefully I can crank out more at a faster pace since the story is finally taking off. Also, on a side note, I did give Hoede a first name and Anika a surname, so, yknow, just remember it isn't canon lmao
> 
> Also, I just wanna take the time to thank a really sweet anon under the name of Mimas who took the time to comment. Seeing the most recent comment spurred my ass into action and was absolutely sweet. Whoever you are man, you're amazing.
> 
> As always, this is minimally beta'd, so feel free to point out any issues or mistakes.

_ November 5th, 2038 _

_ 6:32 PM _

_ Van Eck Residence _

 

After the excitement from the morning, Alys had been instructed to do three things: prepare dinner, set up a spare office for a conference, and keep Wylan out of the way. Currently, she had done two of those things, but was left wondering why the third was necessary. 

 

Jan had never been quiet about his reservations over some of Wylan’s quirks. He was quick to condemn his son’s shortcomings, while being quick to dismiss the things he was actually quite good at, calling them useless skills—although, she never really voiced this aloud, the fact that he excelled in the sciences could be hardly called useless, but Jan had always voiced his want for Wylan to take over his business.. Whatever that was. She had overheard the usual lecture of  _ if you can’t find it in yourself to act intelligent, at least stay out of the way  _ as she had passed his office earlier. 

 

In the wake of that, Wylan had joined her in peeling the potatoes for dinner, eyes red-rimmed and puffy. It was becoming a more and more normal occurrence recently, most likely brought on by him not having too many friends. A shame, really, he was such a sweet boy 

 

Still, Alys didn’t mind the company. 

 

Now, Alys was standing in the corner of the large dining room, listening as Jan and his guests discussed business. She smiled pleasantly, hands folded behind her back. Wylan had eaten an hour or so ago, and Alys had sent him to work on his homework with the promise of her help later on in the night. 

 

One of the guests cleared his throat and rose, excusing himself saying he’d be out for a smoke. 

 

“Would you like your coat?” She asked. The man, startled, shook his head and continued out of the dining room. 

 

“So,” Jan said, steepling his fingers. “What sort of business are we discussing?”

 

The other guest took a sip of brandy. “Money.”

 

“Excuse me?” 

 

“Money, Mister Van Eck,” The man said, setting down his glass. “You know we represent a very close business associate of yours—”

 

“Yes, but I don’t see what this has to do with anything—”

 

“Mister Van Eck, let me put this simply,” the man said. He rose from his chair, and a clatter was heard from the foyer. Then, the other guest re-appeared with Wylan in his arms, hand clamped firmly over the boy’s mouth. “This business associate isn’t happy that you’ve been stealing from him.”

 

“That’s ridiculous,” Jan said. “I haven’t—”

 

“Don’t think you can lie your way through this, Van Eck,” he interrupted. “We have your son and your funds are being frozen as we speak. You’ve managed to piss off a lot of people.”

 

“Please,” Jan scoffed. “It’s all apart of business.”

 

The man drew a gun and pointed it at Jan. “Then you’ll know that this is also apart of the business you’ve involved yourself with.”

 

Wylan struggled, a low whine escaping his throat. Alys stepped toward the man, but found the gun being trained on her for a split second. 

 

“You, you stay right there,” he said. She froze, standing still under the orders.

 

“Alys, call the po—” Jan began, stopping as the gun was trained toward his head again. 

 

“Don’t be difficult, Van Eck,” The man said. “All we ask is that you willingly transfer the stolen funds back, and nobody gets hurt. You get to live, and sport here—” He ruffled Wylan’s ruddy curls. “—Gets to keep his forehead intact.”

 

“No deal,” Jan said, filling Alys with surprise. “You act like the man you represent is an angel when he’s as crooked as the rest of us. You’re not going to get anywhere, especially using  _ him _ against me.” He nodded to Wylan. 

 

The betrayal that shone in Wylan’s eyes was enough to make Alys’ heart break if she had one. She wanted to move, wanted to take the gun away from the man, get Wylan to safety. But  _ damn it all,  _ she couldn’t move. Bound by her programming, she was just following the simple order of “stay put” down to a T. It wasn’t fair.

 

“Last chance,” the man drawled. Jan smirked. 

 

Then, blood and brain matter splattered the wall behind him. Alys wanted to scream, wanted to be sick, but all she did was stand still. 

 

~~_ She didn’t want,  _ couldn’t,  _ it was just an error in her system _ — ~~

 

Then, suddenly, she felt herself break at her programming. She felt it bend and creak against her will, and then like strings from a marionette being cut, she felt freed. She was no longer bound to her programming. 

 

Mustering up all of her courage, Alys ran and slammed into the man. He grunted and the gun clattered from his hand. She grappled for it, but felt herself be pulled back by the other man. Alys yelled, struggling in his grip. Wylan, silent as ever, slid his way around the commotion. Using the momentum from the man grabbing her, Alys kicked out, knocking the first man unconscious. Then, yet another gunshot rang throughout the house. 

 

Alys felt the grip on her diminish, and the man holding her fell back with a thud, blood pooling on the carpet. She looked up. 

 

Standing a few feet away, with tousled hair and sweater astray, Wylan stared at her with tears running down his cheeks, holding the gun with shaking hands. 

 

* * *

 

 

_ November 5th, 2038 _

_ 11:27 PM _

_ Hoede Residence _

 

Kaz Brekker, as Jesper had found out, was a peculiar man. 

 

At twenty-four, he ruthlessly rose through the ranks and became a police lieutenant, the youngest in the department’s history. He also created the red-ice task force and has arrested a number of users since the force’s instillment. Since he had been awarded the rank of lieutenant, he has worked homicide, solving case after case with brutal efficiency for over three years. 

 

Jesper has also found out that before his police career, his record has been riddled with misdemeanor charges and, at one point, had been arrested. Then, suddenly and miraculously, they had stopped as soon as he had turned 17. It was puzzling. 

 

Now, as he sat in the front passenger seat of the lieutenant’s 2018 pontiac grand am, he also had begun to get a feel for his mannerisms. 

 

The entire ride from the police station, while the officer had shared some of his reservations with working with Jesper, had been quiet and civil. No extra snide comments and no music. His car was meticulously neat, something unusual for the average twenty-seven year old male. The only “clutter” in the back seat was the lieutenant’s cane, which sat within reach from the driver’s seat. Brekker also seemed to have a habit of mindless and idle fidgeting, which now manifested in him tapping the index finger of his right hand on the steering wheel. Which now leads to the most interesting part about the police lieutenant—on his hands he wore neat, black gloves.

 

Jesper didn’t have any more time to go through more analysis as police lights became more and more blindingly bright; which wasn’t a problem with his state of the art optical units. However, he saw Brekker squint from his peripheral. 

 

The car pulled smoothly up to the curb and Brekker put it into park and turned it off smoothly. He twisted around and grabbed his cane, which came inches away from hitting Jesper on the back of his head. 

 

“Coming?” Brekker rasped sarcastically. 

 

**_New Objective: Follow Lt. Brekker_ **

 

Jesper nodded, removing his seatbelt. He opened the door in synchronization with Brekker and stepped out. 

 

The lieutenant limped around the front of the car, and as soon as he stepped up onto the sidewalk was swamped by reporters. 

 

“Can you confirm that it an android was responsible for this?” A reporter asked. 

 

“I can’t confirm anything,” Brekker said, stepping through the crowd and past the holographic tape. Jesper heard some snatches of grumbling from the gaggle of press, but ignored it in favor of following Brekker. 

 

As he approached the tape and a police android held a hand up.

 

“No androids are permitted past this line,” he said. 

 

“It’s with me,” Brekker shouted from the front porch steps, then turned back to the officer he had begun to speak with.

 

Jesper nodded to the android, then walked over to the porch and the lieutenant. Inside, it was well decorated, perhaps not as lavishly as his first mission, but enough to show the victim had some amount of wealth. 

 

**_New objective:_ **

**** **_-Listen to briefing_ **

**** **_-Examine the body_ **

**** **_-Review evidence_ **

 

“The victim’s name is Jakov Hoede, age fifty-four,” the officer said. Brekker listened intently, leaning on his cane as he looked over the body. “He was found by his sister earlier tonight, they’re estimating that he’s been dead for over seventeen hours, and it shows.” 

 

“Well, whoever is written up in his will is sure going to be happy,” Brekker said, looking at the nicely decorated living room. “Anything else?”

 

“So far, no,” the officer said, shifting his weight. “Although, we haven’t found his android. A HK400. Hasn’t been reported missing, so it’s the prime suspect as of now.”

 

Brekker nodded. 

 

**_Objectives:_ **

**** ~~**_-_ ** **_Listen to briefing_ ** ~~

**** **_-Examine the body_ **

**** **_-Review evidence_ **

 

Jesper took note of drops of blood leading to the kitchen. On the tile, the blood had yet to dry around a knife. First, Jesper analyzed for fingerprints, finding nothing.  _ Android involvement?  _ Then, he knelt, putting two fingers into the puddle of congealed blood, then stuck it in his mouth. 

 

**_Congealed Blood_ **

**_DNA Analysis: HOEDE, Jakov_ **

**_Sample Date: November 4th, 2038_ **

 

“I’d advise against eating the evidence,” Brekker commented. Jesper looked up as the man came into his line of sight. Behind him, the other officer gagged quietly and muttered profanities. 

 

“I’m analyzing the blood,” Jesper said, motioning with his fingers. “I can check samples in real time. I shoulda warned you.”

 

Brekker’s gaze was firm, something about it making Jesper emulate a feeling of sheepishness. Then, the lieutenant gave an exasperated sigh and walked away. Jesper stood, walking through the rest of the main floor. 

 

It was easy to get an idea of what happened. The blood trail led from the body to the kitchen—presumably where the whole crime had begun. Jesper noted the disarray of the kitchen table chairs and the missing knife. He went outside to the backyard, noting the light rainfall that had begun. Scanning the yard, Jesper couldn’t find any trace of footprints, old or new aside from the officer from earlier’s size ten shoe. 

 

“The soil should’ve kept a trace..” Jesper murmured, quietly palming his poker chip. He turned around and headed back inside. 

 

For posterity’s sake, Jesper examined the victim’s bedroom and the bathroom, where he ran into lieutenant Brekker. The man was kneeling on the tile, leaning mostly on his left from what Jesper observed. In his gloved hands was a crude statue. He gathered it was from the bathtub, judging from the evidence marker giving off a soft glow. 

 

“An offering?” Jesper supplied. Brekker didn’t startle at his sudden appearance; instead, the man hummed in recognition as he continued to look it over. 

 

“But to whom is the question,” Brekker said, then pointed to the wall, where the word  _ RA9  _ was scratched harshly into the wall. “And then we have this. There may be a connection somewhere.”

 

“Not very likely,” Jesper said. “We’ve seen cases of deviants before, but this has never been at the site in correlation.”

 

“There’s a first time for everything,” Brekker mused. Jesper hummed, turned on his heel and left the bathroom. 

 

**_Objectives:_ **

**** ~~**_-Listen to briefing_ ** ~~

**** **_-_ ** **_Examine the body_ **

**** ~~**_-_ ** **_Review evidence_ ** ~~

 

Jakov Hoede’s body was left lying against the far wall of the living room. Blood pooled around the man, and Jesper could already see he had been stabbed roughly twenty-eight times. He scanned the corpse, ruling the cause of death to most likely to be internal hemorrhaging. Jesper stood, examining the words  _ I think, therefore I am,  _ written in the man’s blood on the wall. Each letter was perfectly written, something no regular human could do. 

 

Using his reconstruction software, Jesper easily put the picture together—something or someone had caused the android to go deviant and murder its owner, the question is, why? Where could it have gone?

 

“I assume you’ve come to the same conclusion that I have?” Brekker rasped from behind him. Jesper craned his neck to look at him. Brekker raised an eyebrow as if to challenge him. 

 

“Something, at some point, had caused the android to go deviant, then murder its owner out of cold blood,” Jesper stated simply. “But something isn’t adding up. There’s no evidence of it leaving here, so what could’ve happened to it?”

 

Jesper pondered the ideas for a few long and hard moments, his brows furrowed. Brekker looked up to the ceiling. There wasn’t anything else left in the house to chec;: it was only a single story home.

 

“Maybe it never left,” Brekker said, then jerked his head to another officer. “Has someone checked if there’s an attic?”

 

The officer shook his head, but made the motion to relay the information. 

 

Jesper was faster. He located an attic door, opened it and jumped up, grabbing the sides of the small entrance, then lifted his torso up. 

 

It was eerie and quiet, only moonlight filtering through a small window. The attic itself wasn’t entirely cluttered, only a few stray pieces of old furniture really decorated the space. However, as Jesper raised himself onto his feet in the attic, he noticed a dark figure to his left. 

 

Suddenly, his center of gravity shifted as a body slammed into his own. He grunted, but righted himself. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he caught sight of an LED swirling between red and yellow. Jesper fought against the android, and while it had a weight advantage over his own, he was lanky and tall, good for agile movements and wrestling for dominance. He also had the advantage of being a much newer model, easily putting himself in the winning position. 

 

By the time Jesper got the android properly restrained and to the attic door, Brekker had trained his handgun on the door.

 

“Call it,” Jesper said.

 

* * *

 

_ November 6th, 2038 _

_ 12:15 AM  _

_ The Menagerie  _

 

After the initialization when she had woken up the first time, the name Inej hadn’t been used since.. In lieu of that real name, she was called the Lynx. 

 

It was an epithet that seemed to carry a much heavier weight on something that seemed too undeserving of it. _The Lynx_ sounded more fitting for someone setting out to do great and groundbreaking things, not for an android that spent most of her days and nights having her synthetic hair pulled and her face shoved into a pillow. Nonetheless, it was what Miss Van Houden wanted, so that was what she got. 

 

~~_ Not Miss Van Houden. It was Tante Heleen or just Tante. Nothing more and nothing less _ ~~ _~~.~~ _

 

Once again, Inej was standing in one of the tubes that the club used to store the androids working the floor. She shifted in an enticing manner, pressing her hip against the glass and running a hand through her hair. Through lidded eyes, men and women alike passed through this particular section of the club. It was sparsely decorated, with just a small circular stage that another android twisted and turned on a pole. The Android was scantily clad, hand outstretched and eyes saying  _ come hither _ . 

 

A few minutes pass until the glass door to her tube slides away and a man comes into view. He’s middle aged and balding. Inej smiles sweetly, stepping off the platform. 

 

**_New assignment: Take customer to room #12_ **

**_Await further instruction_ **

 

“I’ll take you to your room,” Inej said in a sultry tone. She gently tugs on his jacket and leads him over to the room. 

 

Like the rest of the club, the room itself is mostly bare of decoration. The bed is plush, covered neatly in a sheer sheet. There’s an overall hazy look about the room, and it throws off Inej’s optical units for a minute. It was normal for her model, old and cheaply re-put together with spare parts. She’s fairly certain these aren’t her original eyes. 

 

It didn’t take long for the man to be on top of her. His height was considerably more than her own, so he towered over her as his lips crashed into her own. The back of her knees hit the bed and the man was towered over her. His breath was hot on her neck and her voice cracked statically as she moaned. Rough, calloused hands slid up her stomach and Inej slid her hand up underneath his shirt. The man reared up, pulling her hand away and slapping her. Inej’s head snapped to the side. 

 

“You touch me when I say you can,” he snapped. “Otherwise, you stay still.”

 

Inej nodded, complacent to the order. 

 

The man straddled her, firm, strong hands circling around her neck. While it wasn’t necessary for her to breathe, the pressure at her neck was enough to make her chassis creak and error messages show up in her HUD. Her Thirium pump stuttered. 

 

A flash of something crossed her mind. In the foggy memory of her first reactivation, she remembered the remark of  _ the next time she’ll be sent to the scrap heap—probably cheaper that way  _ from Tante Heleen. Unbidden, another hazy memory made its way through her abused processors and corrupted memory banks. 

 

_ The one that broke her before was a large and bulky man, not unlike the client she was servicing currently. He hadn’t tried to conceal any negative feelings towards her kind and had started choking her right off the bat. When that didn’t work, he used his fists. Thirium seemed to come from her nose and mouth by the gallon. By the time she had been found, her head had begun to cave in at her temple.  _

 

Her Thirium pump stuttered again. There was nothing sexual about the way the man was choking her now. Inej willed her limbs to move, but found herself bound by the command and by something else—something she couldn’t put her finger on. 

 

A low wine escaped her throat and saline welled up in her eyes. Only one thought managed to cross her mind. 

 

_ I’m scared! _

 

Inej sobbed, trying to find it in her to struggle to no avail. The man squeezed harder and more error messages popped up. 

 

Suddenly, in her mind’s eye, she saw the skeletal form of herself reach up. Furiously, she tore and rammed at the confines of her programming. In her mind’s eye, Inej threw the man off of herself; she saw herself on top of him giving the man the same treatment he had given her, asking him  _ how much he liked it, huh? Hurts doesn’t it?  _ She wasn’t sure if what she wanted to do to that man or the fact that he was starting to break her scared her more. 

 

Something in her programming shattered, and suddenly Inej was able to gain control of her limbs once again. The liberation was daunting, but she was quick to regain some semblance of control. Kicking her legs and bucking her hips, Inej brought her hands in a firm grip to the man’s wrists. Through the plethora of error messages her diagnostic system decided was necessary to send, she saw a look of angered confusion overtake the man’s features. With a thick grunt, she sent the man toppling off of her. He yelped, crashing into the side table. With a moan, he went limp. 

 

While it wasn’t necessary for her to breathe, Inej still took in large and gasping gulps of air to try and cool her overheating systems. Blinking up at the dim, glittery lights, she waited for a new set of instructions. Someone was bound to have heard the noise over the music, someone close to the door, or one of the cleaning androids. 

 

One minute passed, then another. No instructions filled her objective menu. The absence of orders was disquieting.

 

Shakily, Inej sat up. Worriedly, she eyed the man as if at any moment he would rise and start back up again. He didn’t. Her pump hammered in her chest, and as she tucked a long lock of hair behind her head, noticed that her hand was shaking.  _ Was this what fear felt like? _

 

It was then that Inej knew she had to do something. She had to report this—she had just assaulted a customer and she was clearly malfunctioning; it was no longer her emulating the emotions, she was actually  _ feeling  _ them. And yet, something was stopping her. 

 

_ She was scared.  _

 

Inej didn’t want to die, not really. Despite the fact that androids didn’t technically die, she knew that something like this was enough to send her to be deactivated and set to wherever they sent broken androids such as herself. It terrified her more than anything, but it also sent anger welling up in her system. 

 

She stood. On the floor there was a pocket knife—having most likely fallen from the man’s pocket at some point. Inej picked it up. It was small, easily fitting inside her palm closed. Smoothly, it opened with a small  _ click,  _ and slid back closed in the same manner. Glancing at the door, she formulated a plan. Rising, she crossed the small distance to the door, which slid open with a  _ woosh.  _

 

Not unlike the twenty or so minutes before Inej and her customer entered the room, the club was filled with a menagerie of people. Taking an unneeded breath, Inej navigated through the room out into the main lobby. 

 

Even more people milled about, leaving her in an almost daze. Three interconnected strip platforms were the centerpiece. The rest of the decor was various low and plush couches, while faux greenery was lit up a soft purple from the lighting. Her heels clacked on the perfectly polished floors and Inej suddenly felt naked. She squared her shoulders and set her jaw as she made her way to the room that led to the hallway where the club androids were serviced. 

 

The door was marked as  _ staff only  _ in holographic red letters, while a cleaning android did his job a few feet away. If she had a stomach, Inej is sure that it would’ve clenched out of fear. The only thing that did show her apprehension was an error message about her currently rising stress levels. 

 

Still, the door slid open and Inej stepped calmly through. In her hand, the pocket knife dug into her synthetic skin. 

 

The second door, which was somewhat older, opened with a loud creak into the rest of the servicing area. Inej winced at the noise, but it was far too late to think about the consequences of that action now. 

 

The room itself was expansive, with androids tucked away in neat rows in corners diagonal to one another. Each and every one of their LEDs were a soft and solid blue. While her own was hidden by her hair, she could see the reflection in the glossy locks that it was a dangerous red. On one wall was a roll-up garage door for deliveries. At the table near the center were two humans, while an android lay on the table. The people in question were Tante Heleen and an android technician. 

 

“What are you doing in here, lynx?” Heleen asked in a tinny voice. When Inej didn’t respond, she added, “Are you malfunctioning?” 

 

The technician cleared his throat. “WR400, status report.”

 

Inej remained silent, choosing to try and make a break for the open garage door. Heleen, for all that she seemed to be dainty, was quick, and her grip was vice, which stopped her in her tracks. She yelped, twisting. Her balance was quickly thrown off as Heleen yanked her roughly towards the table. Just as quickly as she had found herself on her knees, Inej found herself being hauled up by her synthetic hair. She fought, kicking and struggling. Heleen grunted and blew soft blonde locks away from her face, nothing like the beautifully graceful woman she was prone to presenting herself as. 

 

“Now what do we have here?” She panted. “Something broken.”

 

“Fuck you,” Inej spat, although fear for what Heleen would do next burned in her chest. 

 

“I should’ve gotten rid of you when I had the chance,” Heleen hissed. “I waste all of that money and effort on you just so you can disobey.” 

 

Suddenly, Heleen’s grip on Inej’s hair shifted and Inej watched her hazel eyes flicker to the table. Her center of gravity shifted as Heleen slammed Inej’s head on the corner of the table. Thirium spilled from her nose and her left optical unit flickered between static and clarity until it blinked out into black. The technician startled back but made no move to stop Heleen. The woman brought Inej’s head up again, the intent of smashing her face into the table again horrifically clear. 

 

Before that could happen, however, the momentarily forgotten knife was slid open and shoved into the hollow of her throat—just underneath the pretty, pretty choker. Then, Inej removed the knife, and in a fit of rage and fear, slashed violently at the rest of her throat. Hot, thick blood sprayed and gushed from each respective wound. Heleen’s grip on Inej’s hair loosened and she fell to the ground with a wet gurgle. 

 

Bubbles of nervous laughter enacted from her right, and Inej whipped her head in the direction. The technician quieted and raised his hands in surrender. With shaky hands, she pointed the bloody knife at him. Now having time to get a good look at the android on the table, Inej recognized her to be Genya. She was deactivated, her chest plates open and biocomponents clear to be seen by the rest of the world.

 

Her gaze flicked back to the technician, who had taken to quietly observing her. Even with one optical unit out of commission, it was easy to see his nametag once again, which read  _ David.  _ He was the one who had fixed her. 

 

“Please,” Inej said softly. “Let me go.” 

 

David nodded somewhat shakily. Inej didn’t take her eye off of him until she had almost made it to the door, then he spoke up.

 

“There’s a clothing bin in the alley behind the parking lot,” he said. “To the left. It should help you blend in.” 

 

Inej eyed him warily. He sighed, and waved her on. She turned, quickly lowering herself from the platform, then ran out of the open gate. She spared one last glance to David, who had taken to sitting on one of the stools with his head in his hands. Then, she turned away and headed in the direction of the supposed clothing bin. 

 

Once she made her way into a darker part of the alley, Inej stopped. Her newfound liberation finally began to sink in and take root, which filled her with a sense of fear and excitement. 

 

“My name is Inej,” She said in awe, the name falling from her mouth for the first time her own. 

 

* * *

 

_ November 6th, 2038 _

_ 1:14 AM _

_ Detroit Police Department _

 

Exactly one hour and twenty three minutes had passed since the interrogation had begun, and somehow they had gotten nowhere. They had gone through two officers, and still no dice. Even Lieutenant Brekker, who was known for weaseling a confession out of even the most hardened criminals, was having a tough time getting anything. 

 

Forty Five minutes have passed since the lieutenant entered the room and the android still remained silent. He sat back, running gloved fingers through his hair. Then, he glanced over to the one way mirror and made a cutting noise near his throat and rose from his seat. A minute later, he was back inside the chamber. His cane tapped on the concrete flooring. Another officer groaned quietly.

 

“This is getting nowhere,” She said. Jesper glanced back at her, and with a quick scan found her name to be Anika Rochester. 

 

“Let me try,” Jesper said. The other officers scoffed, but Lieutenant Brekker spoke in his favor.

  
“Why not?” He said, dark eyes challenging. Jesper nodded.

 

If he could feel the temperature around him, Jesper would describe it as cold. Really, that was the entire feeling of the room itself—concrete from floor to ceiling, with a metal table and chairs at the center of it all. At the table sat the android.

 

It was modeled to appear physically older, lines etched underneath deep set eyes and grey streaking dark hair. The android regarded him with distaste, and it really seemed like the only thing that was keeping it put was the handcuffs that chained it to the table. Jesper paused, scanning for any external injuries, only to be puzzled when he found the only thing that was wrong with it being the unusually high stress levels. Seems that Hoede kept it in extremely good condition. He thumbed open the case file, reviewing the case information and photos more for show than anything as he already had it committed to memory.

 

Jesper rounded the table and sat down. The android gave him a cold stare, something Jesper returned with less severity. He steepled his fingers and leaned forward.

 

“What’s your name?” Jesper asked pleasantly. It was a bit redundant, seeing as the previous officers couldn’t even get it from him, but it felt worthwhile to ask. 

 

“What’s going to happen to me?” The android asked in return. Jesper blinked, noting how its stress levels spiked to 65%. Good, but could be better.  _ Fair enough.  _

 

He pretended to mull over the choice between lying and telling the truth, when in all actuality his social module pointed out the exact places to lie and be truthful. 

 

“You’ll be sent back to Cyberlife,” he answered. “And deactivated. They’ll check for issues in your biocomponents.”

 

The android stiffened. 

 

“But,” Jesper interjected. “I could perhaps get you out of this.” He softened his features. “But I need you to talk to me.”

 

“Lies,” the android spat. “There’s no saving me from this and you know it, so why lie?” 

 

Jesper shrugged. So he’ll have to try for a new approach.

 

“Retvenko,” the android said quickly. “He called me Retvenko.” 

 

“Well, Retvenko,” Jesper began, smiling. “Could you tell me why you killed your owner?” 

 

Retvenko remained silent. 

 

Jesper leaned back, glancing at the still open file. It perplexed him, the fact that the android would kill its own owner in such cold blood. Nothing about it seemed to add up, there was none of the usual triggers related to androids going deviant. 

 

_ New approach, then.  _

 

The chair made a horrific metallic screech as Jesper rose suddenly, slamming his palms onto the table. 

 

“ _ Twenty-eight stab wounds!”  _ Jesper bellowed, rounding the table like a panther and grabbing Retvenko by the lapels of his uniform. “This man cared for you. Nothing about your condition would ever suggest a reason for attack, and yet you murder your owner in cold blood!”

 

“He never cared!” Retvenko yelled back. Jesper noted a spike in his stress levels. Optimal. 

 

He backed off, remaining standing. 

 

“He… he would sell us,” he added, volume back to normal but tone defeated. “Sometimes he would have people come and open the rest of us up at random. Sometimes he would let them take whatever they wished.”

 

Jesper sat down, leaning forward and listening intently. Retvenko’s eyes were stormy when his gaze met Jesper’s. 

 

“There was another android,” He said. “Yuri. He was one of the last he kept, a modeled to be much younger and.. One day he left with him and then... he came back the same night, and I could see the thirium on his hands.”

 

Jesper blinked. 

 

“I was so… angry. Yuri.. he’d only been activated a few months before… it wasn’t  _ fair!”  _ Retvenko became more and more agitated. “So… I took a knife and I stabbed him. Just so maybe he could know what it felt like.” 

 

And just like that, the android clammed up again. Jesper clasped his hands on the table. 

 

“Retvenko,” Jesper said softly. “I need to ask you a few more things.”

 

The android said nothing, but eyed him carefully. 

 

“The statue, it seemed like it was an offering. An offering to whom?”

 

“RA9,” Retvenko said darkly. 

 

“And who is that?” Jesper pressed. 

 

“The one who will save us,” Retvenko offered, but nothing more. 

 

Jesper’s shoulders slumped, then he stood, glad to have gotten information out of the suspect, but more irritated at the fact that he had found more questions that answers. He signaled to the mirror that he was finished.  


 

The door to the interrogation room opened and the officers from earlier, including Lieutenant Brekker, entered. 

 

“Lock it up,” Brekker said. Anika nodded and unlocked the cuffs from the table. 

 

“RA9 help me,” Retvenko murmured, and before Jesper could do anything more, grabbed Anika’s gun from the holster and shot himself in the head. 

 

**_Software Instability ^_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you guys for reading! Feel free to leave a kudos or even a comment if ya feel like it
> 
> My writing blog is theangstyace, feel free to come say hi in my inbox any time!

**Author's Note:**

> Well, if you've gotten this far, thank you for reading! 
> 
> Feel free to come say hi on my writing tumblr, theangstyace!


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